Balinskis notched two assists, three hits, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 8-3 win over the Predators.
Balinskis has earned all four of his helpers on the year over the last four games. The 29-year-old defenseman's momentum should help him stay in the lineup over Donovan Sebrango for a while. Balinskis has added eight shots on net, 20 hits, 11 blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in 13 appearances this season.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Pockets helper Monday
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Balinskis notched an assist, two PIM and a plus-2 rating in Monday's 8-5 win over the Canucks.
Balinskis has struggled to secure regular playing time this season -- he had been a healthy scratch for the previous seven games. Donovan Sebrango was scratched Monday, and Balinskis put forth a solid performance in 12:55 of ice time, which could help him stay in the lineup for a bit. Over 10 outings, Balinskis has one assist, five shots on net, 11 hits, eight blocked shots and four PIM.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Snaps slump Thursday
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Balinskis posted two assists in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
Balinskis ended a 15-game point drought with a helper on Mackie Samoskevich's second-period goal. Later in the frame, Balinskis set up a Brad Marchand tally as well. It's been an interesting second season for Balinskis, who has mostly been a third-pairing defenseman for the Panthers. He's managed 17 points, 88 shots on net, 79 hits, 52 blocked shots and a minus-6 rating. He's not currently part of the power-play mix but has averaged 59 seconds per game with the man advantage in 2024-25 after getting a couple of looks in that role earlier.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Goes quiet on offense
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Balinskis' point drought reached nine games in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Canadiens.
Balinskis has 10 hits, eight blocked shots, eight shots on goal and a minus-3 rating in that span. He's safe in the lineup until Dmitry Kulikov (upper body) returns, but Balinskis offers minimal fantasy value in a third-pairing role with little power-play usage. He's at 15 points, 82 shots on net, 66 hits, 50 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating across 67 appearances this season.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Tallies opening goal
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Balinskis scored a goal on three shots and added two PIM in Thursday's 4-3 win over the Oilers.
Balinskis started the scoring in this rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Finals, ending his own eight-game point drought in the process. The 28-year-old defenseman didn't play in the postseason last year, but he could have a chance to this spring in the likely event the Panthers qualify. There's always a chance they make a trade to bolster their defensive depth as well -- which would likely threaten Balinskis and Nate Schmidt's roles on the third pairing. For the season, Balinskis has 15 points, 71 shots on net, 56 hits, 39 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating over 57 outings.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Pockets helper Sunday
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Balinskis notched an assist and blocked two shots in Sunday's 4-1 loss to the Golden Knights.
Balinskis has four points over his last nine outings, but his ice time has fluctuated quite a bit in that stretch. The 28-year-old blueliner is likely to be in a third-pairing role full-time moving forward as long as Aaron Ekblad avoids further injury concerns. Balinskis is at 14 points, 62 shots on net, 44 hits, 36 blocked shots and a minus-3 rating through 48 appearances this season.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Earns assist Saturday
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Balinskis collected one assist, a shot on goal and one hit in Saturday's 4-3 overtime loss to Boston.
Balinskis didn't have a point in four straight games entering Saturday's action. He has contributed one goal, 10 helpers, 27 blocked shots and 33 hits through 40 appearances this season.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Two helpers against Blueshirts
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Balinskis picked up two assists in Monday's 5-3 win over the Rangers.
The 28-year-old blueliner helped set up tallies by Mackie Samoskevich in the first period and Jesper Boqvist in the second. It was Balinskis' first multi-point effort since Nov. 7, snapping a slump that had seen him record just one point (a goal) in his prior 10 appearances. On the season, he's produced a goal and 10 points in 35 contests with 48 shots on net, 27 hits, 22 blocked shots, 17 PIM and a minus-6 rating.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: First goal of season Friday
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Balinskis scored a goal in Friday's 2-1 overtime win over the Blues.
Balinskis has one goal and seven assists through 31 appearances this season, surpassing the three points (one goal, two assists) he had across 26 regular-season appearances in the 2023-24 campaign. Balinskis won't have much fantasy upside outside formats that stay away from his physicality. He has 42 shots, 25 hits and 18 blocked shots while posting a minus-5 rating.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Dishes two helpers in win
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Balinskis notched two assists, four shots on goal, two hits and two PIM in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Predators.
Balinskis has three helpers over his last two games, and two of those assists have come on the power play. The 28-year-old defenseman is quarterbacking the first power-play unit, so he's worth at least a speculative add in most fantasy formats. He's up to four helpers this season, surpassing his point total (three) from 26 regular-season outings in 2023-24. Balinskis has added 13 shots on net, 13 hits, six blocked shots, nine PIM and a minus-1 rating over 14 contests in 2024-25.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Collects assist in win
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Balinskis notched an assist in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Stars in Finland.
Balinskis hadn't gotten on the scoresheet since Opening Night. The defenseman is seeing consistent power-play usage, but it hasn't helped his offense. The 28-year-old is up to two assists, nine shots on net, 11 hits, six blocked shots, seven PIM and a minus-1 rating through 13 appearances. He had just three points in 26 regular-season outings in 2023-24, his first year in the NHL, so fantasy managers shouldn't expect him to have a sudden uptick in scoring.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Summoned from AHL
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Balinskis was called up from AHL Charlotte on Wednesday.
Balinskis has three goals and 21 points in 37 contests with Charlotte in 2023-24. He also has collected a goal and three points in 22 outings with the Panthers. He's back with Florida after Aaron Ekblad exited Tuesday's contest against Montreal because of an undisclosed injury.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Called up from minors
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Balinskis was promoted to the NHL roster Thursday, Jameson Olive of the Panthers' official site reports.
Balinskis figures to serve as an emergency depth defenseman due to the absence of Aaron Ekblad (lower body) and Dmitry Kulikov (suspension). If the 27-year-old Balinskis were to get into the lineup against Nashville on Thursday, it would likely come at the expense of Tobias Bjornfot.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Agrees to two-year extension
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Balinskis signed a two-year contract extension with Florida on Wednesday.
Balinskis is playing on a one-year, entry-level deal and would have become an unrestricted free agent this summer had he not agreed to this extension. The 27-year-old, who is currently with AHL Charlotte, has two points in 18 contests with Florida as well as seven points in seven minor-league outings this season.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Summoned from minors
Rotowire
Balinskis was recalled from AHL Charlotte on Sunday.
Balinskis has contributed one goal, one assist, 16 shots on net, 12 blocked shots and 19 hits over 15 NHL appearances this season. He scored a goal in his lone AHL outing during a 5-2 loss to Hershey on Saturday.
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Panthers' Uvis Balinskis: Heads to minors
Rotowire
Balinskis was reassigned to AHL Charlotte on Friday.
Balinskis has a goal and two points in 15 games with Florida this season. The 27-year-old signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers in April after scoring 11 goals and 35 points in 50 contests with Liberec of the Czech League last year.
